THE CLARA ABBOTT MUG was presented each year to the winner of the Schaumburg State - Northeast Illinois University game. The Abbott Mug image  was placed on the winning team's home page for the year, giving the victor bragging rights in one of the MCAA's fiercest rivalries.
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Before NEIU and Schaumburg State were admitted to the MCAA, the owners worked together at Abbott Laboratories. One day, while attending a company fundraiser, the two owners signed up for the three-legged sack rack. Never expecting to win, the pair was shocked that they not only were victorious, but that the prize was a single mug, with Clara Abbott's image on it.
The pair could not agree on who should get to keep the mug -- nor could they agree on any kind of schedule for who could have the mug when, and for how long. Good friends soon became bitter enemies.
With each school's entry into the MCAA, each party agreed to a yearly rivalry game -- the Mug was placed into a safety deposit box at MCAA Headquarters, and will be awarded annually to the winner of this American Midwest Conference game.
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